‘Needle in a haystack’: Crews search for dad who jumped in Longview Lake to help kids
UPDATE: Crews recover body from Longview Lake after search for dad who jumped in to help kids
Officials continued Thursday afternoon to search for a father who jumped into Longview Lake in southern Jackson County to help his children and did not resurface.
Kansas City firefighters responded to the water rescue at about 9:35 a.m. at 9898 Longview Road, where they were told two adults had jumped into the water to help the kids. The man did not come back up. He was not wearing a life jacket, officials said.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe, whose agency also responded, said the adults jumped in when the two children, who were wearing life jackets, started to drift away from a pontoon boat.
The children’s mother was there at the time. Lowe said relatives were in shock.
“Obviously it is a traumatic event for them,” he told reporters as crews continued to search in the dangerous heat.
The highway patrol was using a sonar in the lake. Crews looked in the area where the man was last thought to be, but the search was made more difficult because they did not have an exact location, Lowe said. The expansive lake was also experiencing a heavy current with strong winds.
“It’s like a needle in a haystack,” Lowe said.
The highway patrol advised people to be aware of their own abilities while swimming in a lake, which presents more complications than swimming in a pool. Lowe also recommended anyone swimming in a lake to wear a life jacket.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 1:39 PM with the headline "‘Needle in a haystack’: Crews search for dad who jumped in Longview Lake to help kids."
